Powerful 'in-the-box' Mastering
The IK Multimedia T-RackS CS Classic mastering and mixing software bundle builds on the legacy of the fantastic original T-RackS software, giving you convenient and comprehensive metering plus plug-in and standalone operating capability. T-RacksS CS Classic lets you tailor your signal chain to run up to 12 processors in parallel or series. Whether you're looking for clean, accurate digital clarity, rich analog character, or anything in between, the T-RackS CS Classic bundle has you covered!
IK Multimedia T-RackS CS Classic Mastering Suite at a Glance:- Tailor your signal chain
- Meter with confidence
- Work in plug-in or standalone mode
- Get the true sound of classic hardware units
- Four classic T-RackS processors
T-RackS CS Classic includes a selectable 12-processor-slot audio chain arranged in two rows of four slots for parallel processing plus four serial final slots. Without having to navigate or scroll around, modules can be easily switched on/off with a single click, individually or all at once, at any time for quick a/b on the monitored audio. You get single-module or global chain visualization options plus a 'compare' function with volume matching that compares the sound of the processed version and the original. This allows you to really judge the sound changes and not be mislead by a volume increase.
Meter with confidenceT-RackS CS Classic includes a new high quality, high precision complete metering section. You get a precision 3-scale Peak meter with accurate sample indicators and real digital 'Over' indication, as well as a Real Perceived Loudness meter. This amazingly useful meter is not included on most software processors. It shows the real loudness that will be perceived on your masters. Compare your preferred records with your works on this meter, and you'll immediately see where to go with loudness management. T-RackS also includes a Phase scope (with options to match the style and indication you're used to); Phase correlation; a Spectrum analyzer with Peak, RMS and Averaging indicators; and an RMS meter.
Work in plug-in or standalone modeOne of the reasons T-RackS CS Classic is so popular at Sweetwater is that you can use the individual processors as plug-ins in your DAW, or use the full suite in standalone mode. Standalone mode allows for loading multiple audio files, previews them with all-independent settings, and processes all of them with a single click. Standalone mode includes an extremely high-quality sampling rate conversion to write 44.1kHz CD files, starting from any sampling rate. You also get built-in dithering. Automation is easy; you can take snapshots within each song and automate processing parameter changes during the song, for example, when passing from verses to choruses, all with a single click. You can also perform non-destructive basic audio editing.
Get the true sound of classic hardware unitsIK developed SCC technology to 'clone' the true behavior of an analog vintage processor down to its finest level of sonic detail for a faithful reproduction of all its tonal characteristics. This new emulation technology produces results that are indistinguishable from the originals, even for the professionally trained ear.
Four T-RackS classic processorsT-RackS CS Classic includes the Classic T-RackS Compressor (a classic tube stereo compressor/leveler designed for mastering) and the Classic T-RackS Multi-band Limiter (a multiband master stereo limiter). You also get the Classic T-RackS Clipper (a soft-clipping stage to create warm, saturated mastering effects) and the Classic T-RackS Equalizer (a 6-band parametric equalizer), which is modeled on classic top-quality analog gear. This EQ can now be used in stereo or MS mode.
IK Multimedia T-RackS CS Classic Mastering and Mixing Software Features:- Classic T-RackS Compressor
- Classic T-RackS Multi-band Limiter
- Classic T-RackS Clipper
- Classic T-RackS Equalizer
- Configurable mastering/mixing chain lets you run up to 12 parallel/series processors
- Complete built-in metering section with Peak, Perceived Loudness, Phase, and RMS meters, plus a Spectrum analyzer with Peak, RMS and Averaging indicators
- Standalone and plug-in versions available in the same package for use in all the most popular native DAWs
- High-fidelity oversampling with crystal-clear transparency
- Extremely easy to use
In a previous article, we wound up speaking to the use of limiting on the master bus—how it’s used, specifically, to maintain desired levels without going into the realm of clipping. All this begs the question:
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What is clipping in audio, anyway?
Audio clipping is what happens when you push the gain of a signal past the capabilities of the gear handling that signal. Clipping can happen in digital and analog realms alike, but digital clipping does sound different from analog clipping.
Analog clipping happens when you push a signal higher than the peak voltage of a given piece of gear can handle. This can be any piece of signal processing—say a compressor or an equalizer. Digital clipping occurs when you push a signal past 0 dBFS in any digital medium with fixed-point processing, such as the typical A/D or D/A converter. In these cases, 0 dBFS is the absolute highest value your computer can handle above this level information is discarded resulting in slicing off the top of the waveform.
The audible effect of clipping in both cases is distortion, but the nature of the distortion is different depending on the process. Analog clipping adds complex harmonic distortions that sound different dependent on the analog processor. In other words, distorting tape will sound different from distorting tubes, solid-state amplifiers, and so on.
On digital systems, however, there is one kind of clipping distortion: a squared off sound wave as the signal hits the digital ceiling. It looks quite like a square wave (if you’re into synthesis, you’ll recognize the look), and indeed, it has the hard, gritty characteristics of said wave. Digital clipping does not have the benefit of being impacted by a lovely piece of analog gear, where it will take on the unique characteristics of that circuitry (though some circuits try to mimic the distorted quality of analog, these are often approximations of pleasurable distortions more familiar to us throughout recorded history. So, when we speak of digital clipping here, we refer not to digital recreations of analog clipping, but to the squared-off sound described above).
It all boils down to one immutable fact: clipping adds distortion to the signal, and this distortion is by and large unwarranted.
…But what if it isn’t?
Audio clipping as a creative tool
Despite being labeled technically as a “fault” or an “error,” the sound of clipping can be desirable for certain styles of music and specific musical instruments. Thus, in creative pursuits, clipping is worth investigating.
Let’s take the drums, for instance. Analog clipping on a drum track can add a rounded, warm, hyper-saturated distortion that might lend itself well to hip hop, both modern and vintage. Take a drum loop through a digital clipping process, however, and you might be on your way to some of EDM’s more gritty, grimey sub-genres. Given the right context, both sounds can be acceptable in a production or a mix.
Clipping as an error
Sometimes, as an engineer, an audio file will come to you with audible clipping that you don’t want. You’ll know these by the distorted quality you wish to remove. In my practice, this is particularly odious in post-production scenarios, where an actor clips a microphone by yelling suddenly.
I do my best to mitigate clipping with tools like RX 6’s De-clip module, De-crackle, and Deconstruct to fix these issues. Often times it’s quite a simple process—hitting the “suggest” button on De-clip and letting the algorithm handle the best way to mitigate distortion. In fact, this very process came in handy while de-clipping Eugene Mirman’s vocal on an episode of Startalk Live that I mixed last year.
Sometimes I’ve noticed that De-crackle works better on material that’s distorting, but not necessary clipping. For a more in-depth look on how to use these modules, check out this link.
Clipping in mastering
Yes, some mastering engineers do employ audio clipping—either distorting a piece of analog gear for harmonic saturation, or actually clipping the A/D converter itself. Mostly this is done to achieve the levels clients expect, though some engineers do pursue clipping techniques for a specific sound.
Still, I wouldn’t jump into this process right away. Do your homework on the sound of clipping before seeing if it’s right for your mastering process—and still limit afterwards so as not to create distortions that you didn’t intend (at least, that’s what I would do).
Indeed, if you find that the sound you’re looking for isn’t coming naturally with basic limiting, try some creative limiting possibilities. Here are a couple of ideas:
Try different limiting algorithms
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As we noted in a previous article, many limiters offer different limiting algorithm—some of them even providing clipping or soft clipping; Ozone 8 is no exception. In O8, there’s no fewer than 10 different options for limiting styles, with each one sounding a bit different than the others (indeed, there’s even a “Clipping” algorithm in IRC III). Spend some time listening to what these algorithms do to the music when driven a bit harder than you would in the real world (this is for practice, after all), and you’ll begin to hear which algorithm might suit you best. For a more thorough dive, try investigating algorithms using the delta test I mentioned previously.
Automate the limiter
Fallout 4 how old is piper. There’s no rule against automation in the mastering process. As you listen to a tune you’re in the process of mastering, ask yourself, what it’s missing here? And also, is it missing from every section?
Perhaps you’re getting the crunch you want from your mastering chain on the verses, but the chorus is overly distorted. There’s nothing stopping you from bringing the gain parameter down—or threshold up—during the choruses, so that you’re limiting less on these crucial sections.
The reverse could be true: you’ve got Ozone’s Maximizer set perfectly for that soaring pop chorus—everything sounds like it’s bursting at the seams in that most pleasant, modern way—but the verses of the mix lack the same punch. Yes, you can address this problem before you hit the limiting stages. But you could also try something different in the limiter: you could bring the threshold up a bit, and reduce the ceiling by half a dB to keep the overall verse-to-chorus ratio the same.
Or, you could try automating the transient enhancer to higher values, giving you more definition and snap on the percussive elements of the mix. Don’t overdo it, of course, but know that you have options to automate in mastering too!
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Parallel limiting in the mix process
This isn’t a mastering-centric tip, but it does involve limiting and it is quite useful in the mixing phase. Often, if I have a low-frequency instrument that needs to cut through the mix, I’ll bus it to separate auxiliary track, slap on some aggressive limiting, EQ out the lows, emphasize the high-midrange frequencies I want to hear, apply some harmonic distortion, perhaps add some stereo effect if need be (to keep it from cluttering up the stereo spread), and then, limit again.
I’ll only need to edge an iota of this auxiliary track into the mix, but it frequently does the trick, allowing the listener to hear the instrument’s articulation, and even helping with laptop translation. Try it on kicks and basses and see what mileage it gets you. You can accomplish all of this within Ozone 8, using the Vintage Limiter, the EQ, the Exciter, and the Maximizer in low-latency mode (in that order).
Conclusion
It’s ironic that many things considered technically incorrect are creatively useful. There was, after all, a time when it would be unheard of to close-mic a kick drum for fear of damaging the microphone! So experimentation is warranted.
Nevertheless, I’d wager that there is a pyramid to how creative you can be with processes like clipping and limiting. In the production phase, it can be no-holds-barred, but for the mix you might want to show more restraint, as nominally you’re creating something for mass consumption. Mastering would be at the topmost, needle-like point of that pyramid, with the least amount of clipping—and most transparent amount of limiting—that would suffice.
At least, that’s the case in my practice. You shouldn’t avoid clipping like the plague. Learning its sonic signatures will do you a lot more harm than good, I’d wager. One of the biggest pieces of good it’ll do you is the ability to free yourself from its potential harm.
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Clean Up Your Mix with This Clipper
Tame overages and clipping with IK Multimedia's T-RackS Classic Clipper plug-in. We've all had it happen. You mix down your tracks only to find a spot or two where it clips just a tad. This can be not only frustrating, but also heartbreaking. What do you do? Start over? Re-record the offending track? Thanks to the IK Multimedia T-RackS Classic Clipper plug-in you can ever so gently clip those offending spikes and save your song. This life-saving plug-in is easy to use and much more transparent than standard peak limiting. Engineers at Sweetwater are sure you'll be impressed by the versatility and effectiveness of the Classic Clipper plug-in. You can also use it to breathe life into a lifeless track or mix by adding a little harmonic saturation. Save your tracks from disaster with IK Multimedia's T-RackS Classic Clipper plug-in.
IK Multimedia T-RackS Classic Clipper Plug-in Features:- Tame your hot and clipping tracks with this plug-in
- Ultra-precise and transparent digital processing
- Sampling rate up to 192kHz
- Supported formats: AAX, VST, RTAS, and AU
- Compatible with 64-bit applications and operating systems
- Can work standalone within T-RackS CS
- Works with Mac and PC